Labor unions are the legally-recognized representatives of workers in numerous industries. American unions negotiate contracts with employers over wages, benefits, and working conditions and represent their members if management attempts to violate contract provisions. The United Food and Commercial Workers represents workers from various sectors including agriculture, food processing, health care, manufacturing, and retail.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1182 represented the employees of the Seattle-First National Bank (SeaFirst) in Washington state. The union worked to provide its members with better working conditions by negotiating contracts with SeaFirst regarding, among other matters, compensation, the filing of grievances, attendance policies, and lay-off policies. The first union to represent SeaFirst employees was initially called the Firstbank Independent Employees Association; this union merged with the Retail Clerks International Union in 1978, which in turn merged with another union to create the United Food and Commercial Workers in 1979.
The unions that represented the employees of SeaFirst were involved in a court case that arose after the Firstbank Independent Employees Association merged with the Retail Clerks International Union in 1978. SeaFirst refused to negotiate a new contract with the Retail Clerks International Union, claiming that the union did not have the right to represent the bank's employees. The Retail Clerks International Union disputed this claim and filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board over the bank's refusal to negotiate a new contract. The National Labor Relations Board ruled that SeaFirst must bargain with the union. SeaFirst appealed the decision and between 1978 and 1990, the case progressed from the National Labor Relations Board to the U.S. Court of Appeals and eventually to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a series of landmark decisions, the courts eventually found that the Retail Clerks International Union – which in 1979 had merged with another union to form the United Food and Commercial Workers – had the right to represent SeaFirst employees in contract negotiations. In 1990, SeaFirst officials entered into contract negotiations with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1182, and became the first large bank to bargain with a labor union.
| 1938 |
Employees Association of Seattle-First National Bank is formed
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| 1969 |
Association affiliates with Marine Engineers Beneficial Association prompting some employees to form a rival organization, Firstbank Independent Employees Association (FIEA), and petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for an election to determine a single bargaining agent. The employees chose FIEA
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| 1971 |
FIEA negotiations first contract with SeaFirst
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| 1974 |
FIEA negotiates a second contract with the bank
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| July 1977 |
Second contract expires. During bargaining for a new contract, FIEA negotiators realize that SeaFirst was intent on destroying key provisions of the contract, particularly the grievance procedure
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| October 1977 |
Despite efforts by a federal mediator, SeaFirst refuses to change its positions and gives FIEA 10 days to accept its offer
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| November 1977 |
FIEA decides not to accept bank's offer. SeaFirst implements economic changes and terminates such practices as dues check-off and providing employee information to FIEA. FIEA leadership recommends to members that it seek an affiliation with a stronger union to help members withstand SeaFirst's attempt to destroy it
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| February 1978 |
FIEA begins mail referendum to 2,624 members for affiliation with the Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU). Prior to vote, nonmembers were encouraged to pay one month's dues of $4 to be eligible to vote. Members vote 1,206 to 774 in favor of affiliation
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| April 1978 |
FIEA receives charter as RCIU Local 1182 and changes its name to Financial Institution Employees of America. Bank refuses to bargain, claiming all employees should have been allowed to vote on affiliation, and refuses to recognize the NLRB's certification of Local 1182 as the bargaining agent for SeaFirst employees, withdrawing recognition of FIEA. Local 1182 files charges with the NLRB over the bank's refusal to bargain
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| April 1979 |
NLRB rules the bank is obligated to bargain, finding that the affiliation vote was conducted properly. SeaFirst appeals to federal court
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| May 1979 |
RCIU merges with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen. This resulting union is called the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
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| June 1980 |
9th Circuit Court of Appeals send affiliation issue back to the NLRB at the board's request, which arises from conflicting rulings on similar cases
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| February 1981 |
9th Circuit issues decision on question of whether SeaFirst had bargained in bad faith during the 1977 negotiations. Court sends case back to the NLRB with instructions to examine the “totality of circumstance” to determine if the bank had violated labor law. The court noted the record contained evidence of bad faith, but the NLRB ignores that evidence and rules that the bank had bargained legally
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| November 1982 |
The NLRB reverses the earlier NLRB decision and finds the affiliation vote was improper because nonmembers were not permitted to vote
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| August 1984 |
9th Circuit overturns NLRB decision on affiliation, stating it made no sense that nonmembers be allowed to vote on internal union matters, especially since the NLRB found that “continuity” existed between the union before and after its affiliation with the RCIU. The NLRB and SeaFirst appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court
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| February 1986 |
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, finds the 1978 election was conducted properly. The Court says unions should be free to seek financial stability and aid in negotiations, and that affiliations with other organizations is one way to meet changing circumstances. The Court, however, sends the case back to the NLRB to determine whether “continuity of representation” was maintained from the independent union to the affiliated union, as the NLRB found in 1982
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| July 1988 |
The NLRB rules again that “continuity” existed between FIEA and UFCW Local 1182 and that there was no “new union” as SeaFirst claimed. Bank asks NLRB to reconsider
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| September 1988 |
The NLRB refuses to reconsider the case
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| January 1990 |
SeaFirst officials decide to enter contract negotiations with UFCW Local 1182
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| June 1990 |
SeaFirst becomes the first large bank to bargain collectively
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